FROM PUBLIC Enemy number one to Liverpool hero in the space of 72 hours.

FROM PUBLIC Enemy number one to Liverpool hero in the space of 72 hours.

Even by his own standards of reinvention, Danny Murphy's metamorphosis this week takes some beating.

"It's definitely been a week of ups and downs hasn't it?" he says.

"It always means a lot to win and score at Old Trafford anyway, but to silence a few people at the same time is great. It is just a few who had a go at me, I want to stress that.

"I'm not daft. I don't think the world's against me.

"I think it would well out of order to criticise the fans because I know it's only a minority. The majority have been fantastic with me. I had people coming up to me before Tuesday's game being really supportive. The fans that were inside Old Trafford and those who've come to Melwood since Saturday have been magnificent.

"The fact is certain fans have players they like and players they don't. There's nothing wrong with that. It's the same around the country.

"But it's good to know there will have been a few people who had a bit of go at me sitting there in their living room on Tuesday, or in the pubs watching the game, jumping up and cheering as loud as anyone when I scored.

"Scoring the winner might get me back in their good books. If I've convinced just one person I'm a better player than they think it's a step in the right direction.

"I know how knowledgeable our supporters are, but if you go to any stadium in the country you will find certain players getting a bit more grief than others.

"Maybe the fact I'm not a flair player like Ryan Giggs or Robert Pires means I'm one of the first to get stick.

"You have to deal with it. The fans are hungry for success, just like the players. When it doesn't happen they become frustrated. They have every right to be.

"I don't think they should be happy when we're not playing well and neither should we.

"I don't like it when they give me stick like that. It doesn't help or give you the confidence to perform because it's support which gets you through.

"There is often a thin line between a terrible game, a decent one and a fantastic one.

"If we'd drawn 0-0 on Tuesday and I'd missed that chance, a lot of people would have said it was an 'okay' performance but I should have won it for us. Now it's seen as a terrific performance.

"I've played a lot worse than I did on Saturday and been applauded off. I hit a few bad corners before I was subbed and that sparked a few people off. That's just the way it is.

"Steven Gerrard summed it up great for me in the ECHO when he said that when he was going through a bad spell the fans helped him through it, giving him the backing he needed."

The next home game will determine if such words will have an in impact and the next dodgy match will trigger off encouragement or more jeers.

Murphy knows the best way to keep the fans on side is to play well. But he also argues there is a better chance of playing well if all the fans are on side.

"We all want to make Anfield a fortress again. We don't won't to be the ones who feel intimidated," explains Murphy.

"Don't get me wrong, it's not bad at Anfield by any means. It's just that we've had a run of results which haven't been good.

"When we have a bad result now and again, there's no reaction like there was on Saturday. If we'd been drawing 1-1 at home to Southampton with 40 minutes to go having just beaten Manchester United, I don't think it would have been the same.

"That was the culmination of a catalogue of results. It was the tip of it, if you like. At one stage I thought we

were losing, but the fact is we shouldn't be drawing at home to Southampton. It would be stupid of any of us to try and cover up cracks and say this wasn't that bad. It was bad."

So after one of the more weird weeks in his Liverpool career, is there a final word for those who've gone into hiding in preparation for Murphy's next bad game and next round of abuse?

"The last thing I want to do is play badly for Liverpool," he says

"If the quality isn't always there it's never through lack of trying. I can promise that for as long as I'm wearing a Liverpool shirt.

"I would just say to those people who want to get on the backs of me or some of the other lads, please think twice and stick with us.

"Count to ten because there are certain points in a game where it's not going well for a player or the team when hearing the fans' support is big bonus. It can give you that extra confidence you need to win a game.

"That will be beneficial to all of us because it will make the fans happy if we win. We all want the same thing."